Anshe Chung
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Anshe Chung is the avatar of Ailin Graef in the online world Second Life. Referred to as the "Rockefeller of Second Life" by a CNN journalist, she has built an online business that engages in development, brokerage and arbitrage of virtual land, items and currencies.
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[edit] Background
According to Graef, she originally amassed large amounts of purely virtual currency on other MMORPGs such as Asheron's Call, Star Wars Galaxies and Shadowbane,but never converted to real tender. However, this changed when she entered Second Life, where the in-game currency, "Linden Dollars" (L$), can be officially exchanged for real money.
Graef, as Anshe Chung, earned an initial stake by working as an escort in the virtual world. "I started ... as a private entertainer, somebody people who are bored or lonely could seek out for company." Graef also used to teach a course on "virtual lovemaking" within the world.
According to Graef, after she developed her skill set she began selling and creating custom animations and then used this money to buy and develop virtual "land." Graef currently owns several full servers worth of land, most of which are sold to other users as a part of her 'Dreamland' areas. Within Dreamland strict zoning rules are enforced; most other land in Second Life is unzoned, where multiple different types of business or housing are located in adjacent areas. Philip Rosedale, the CEO of Linden Lab - the company that produces Second Life - has referred to Anshe as "the government" when referring to the role she plays on her zoned continent "Dreamland".
In February 2006 Graef legally incorporated "ANSHECHUNG Studios, Ltd." in [Hubei, China along with her husband and business partner, Guntram Graef.
In November 2006 Graef announced that she had "become the first online personality to achieve a net worth exceeding one million US dollars from profits entirely earned inside a virtual world"
[edit] Target of griefing
In December 2006, while conducting an interview for CNET about her economic assets, the virtual studio in which the interview took place was bombarded by flying animated penises and modified images of Graef holding a disproportionately sized penis. The griefers managed to disrupt the interview sufficiently that Graef was forced to move to another location and ultimately crashed the simulator entirely.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- ANSHECHUNG Studios website
- BusinessWeek title story and magazine cover
- CNN: "Anshe Chung - First Virtual Millionaire"
- Second Life Safari - Room 101 v. Anshe Chung Something Awful's coverage of the griefing incident
- The penis attack on Google Video
- The Virtual Rockefeller from CNN/Money.com
